English pronunciation practice for Dutch speakers

1. /ɪ/ and /iː/

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Fix problem Relax the mouth and keep sound short.

English sound /ɪ/ — "sit"

Common error /iː/ — "seat"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɪ/ or /iː/ practice

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2. /e/ and /æ/

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Fix problem Move front of tongue a little higher.

English sound /e/ — "set"

Common error /æ/ — "sat"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /e/ or /æ/ practice

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3. /æ/ and /e/

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Fix problem Move tongue to a lower front position.

English sound /æ/ — "man"

Common error /e/ — "men"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /e/ or /æ/ practice

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4. /ʌ/

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Fix problem Tongue low central. Lips relaxed.

English sound /ʌ/ — "cup"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /æ/ or /ʌ/ practice

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5. /ʌ/ and /ə/

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Fix problem Drop tongue to make mouth a little deeper.

English sound /ʌ/ — "London" (1st syllable)

Common error /ə/ — "London" (2nd syllable)

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6. /ɒ/ and related vowel contrasts

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Fix problem Keep mouth round and tongue back.

English sound /ɒ/ — "not"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ practice
Minimal Pairs /ɑː/ or /ɒ/ practice

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7. /ʊ/ and /uː/

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Fix problem Back of tongue high. Lips rounded but relaxed. Short.

English sound /ʊ/ — "full"

Common error /uː/ — "fool"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ʊ/ or /uː/ practice

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8. /ɜː/

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Fix problem Fix tongue in central position. Long.

English sound /ɜː/ — "bird"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /e/ or /ɜː/ practice
Minimal Pairs /ʌ/ or /ɜː/ practice
Minimal Pairs /ɔː/ or /ɜː/ practice

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9. /eɪ/ and /aɪ/

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Fix problem Start with tongue not so low.

English sound /eɪ/ — "late"

Common error /aɪ/ — "light"

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10. /aɪə/

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Fix problem Tongue low front to high front to centre.

English sound /aɪə/ = /aɪ/ + /ə/ — "fire"

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11. /ɔɪ/

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Fix problem Don't make last part too strong.

English sound /ɔɪ/ — "boy"

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12. /əʊ/ and /ɒ/

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Fix problem Tongue central. Then tightly round lips.

English sound /əʊ/ — "note"

Common error /ɒ/ — "not"

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13. /aʊə/

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Fix problem Tongue low front. Then round & unround lips.

English sound /aʊə/ = /aʊ/ + /ə/ — "flour"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /aʊ/ or /aʊə/ practice

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14. /ʊə/

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Fix problem Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround.

English sound /ʊə/ — "tour"

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15. /d/ and /t/

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Fix problem Tip of tongue behind top teeth.

English sound /d/ — "made"

Common error /t/ — "mate"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /t/ or /d/ practice

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16. /v/ and /f/

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Fix problem Voiced. Friction with top teeth & bottom lip.

English sound /v/ — "van"

Common error /f/ — "fan"

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17. /θ/

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Fix problem Voiceless. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /θ/ — "thin"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /ð/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /t/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /d/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /s/ practice

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18. /ð/ and /d/

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Fix problem Voiced. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /ð/ — "they"

Common error /d/ — "day"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ð/ or /d/ practice

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19. /ð/ and /z/

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Fix problem Voiced. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /ð/ — "clothe"

Common error /z/ — "close" /z/

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20. /z/ and /s/

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Fix problem Voiced: tip of tongue behind top teeth. Friction.

English sound /z/ — "rise"

Common error /s/ — "rice"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /s/ or /z/ practice

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21. /ʃ/

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Fix problem Voiceless. Friction. Front of tongue to palate.

English sound /ʃ/ — "push"

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22. /ʒ/ and /ʃ/

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Fix problem Voiced: Front of tongue to palate. Friction.

English sound /ʒ/ — "confusion"

Common error /ʃ/ — "Confucian"

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23. /ŋk/ and /ŋ/

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Fix problem Back of tongue to back roof. Nasal.

English sound /ŋk/ — "think"

Common error /ŋ/ — "thing"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ŋ/ or /ŋk/ practice

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24. British "r"

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Fix problem British "r" is weaker & usually silent unless followed by a vowel.

English sound silent — "survivor"

Common error /r/ — "Sir Ivor"

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25. /w/ and /v/

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Fix problem Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide.

English sound /w/ — "west"

Common error /v/ — "vest"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /w/ or /v/ practice

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26. /tʃ/

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Fix problem Unvoiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to palate.

English sound /tʃ/ — "cherry"

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27. /dʒ/

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Fix problem Voiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to palate.

English sound /dʒ/ — "wage"

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Dutch language backgrounds